The country’s oldest recording studio, state-owned Lokananta, is struggling to survive despite efforts by Sahabat Lokananta (Friends of Lokananta), a community dedicated to promoting the historic studio to the public.

The community recently held a festival to mark the studio’s 56th anniversary on Jl. Ahmad Yani in Surakarta, Central Java.

“Initially, we just wanted to raise awareness of this historical recording studio,” Adia Prabowo, a Sahabat Lokananta member, said.

Many people only know Lokananta for its recordings of old keroncong songs and gamelan music orchestra. In fact, like many other recording studios, Lokananta produced tracks across a variety of genres.

The company has been blighted by budgetary issues as well as limited human resources.

Head of the State Printing Company Consortium (PNRI) Surakarta Branch, Pendi Heryadi, said tha...